prof. dr. Jos Akkermans

Full Professor, School of Business and Economics, Management and Organisation

Personal information

Prof. dr. Jos Akkermans is a Full Professor of Sustainable Careers at the Department of Management and Organization at VU Amsterdam. He obtained his PhD from Utrecht University in 2013. As a career scholar, his expertise spans contemporary and future careers, with a focus on sustainable careers, career success, career shocks, career transitions, and non-traditional career paths.

Jos is Associate Editor for the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the leading journal in the field of career research. He is also a Past Division Chair of the Academy of Management Careers Division. In addition, he actively collaborates with businesses and professionals, and is regularly invited to give keynote lectures and make media contributions.

Research

The world of work is transforming rapidly, reshaping how people build and experience their careers. But what does it take to craft a career that allows people to thrive, today and in the future? Jos studies how people can build careers that are not only successful but also sustainable over time. His research is relevant to employees across all sectors of the labor market, from those just starting out to experienced professionals navigating unexpected disruptions.

More specifically, his research focuses on four interconnected themes: (1) sustainable careers and career success, (2) career shocks and transitions, (3) employability, and (4) non-traditional career paths such as gig work and self-employment. He has published his work in leading international journals, including the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management.

Teaching

Jos mainly teaches at the Master's, PhD, and executive levels at the VU School of Business and Economics, with a focus on topics related to careers, HRM, and organizational behavior. He supervises PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's students, and is the program director of the Business Administration Master's program. Beyond his teaching duties, Jos has invested significantly in educational leadership: he has been trained as both an educational leader (LOL) and a senior university teacher (SKO), reflecting his commitment to high-quality education at VU Amsterdam.

Prizes and Awards

Academy of Management Careers Division Best Symposium Award 2025

Academy of Management Careers Division Mid-Career Scholarship Award 2024

Academy of Management Careers Division Mentoring Acknowledgment Award 2023

Academy of Management Careers Division Best Reviewer Award 2023

Journal of Vocational Behavior Most Downloaded Article 2021

Human Resource Management Journal Most Cited Paper Award 2018-2019

Applied Psychology Most Cited and Downloaded Paper Award 2017-2018

Career Development International Best Paper Award 2017

Academy of Management Outstanding Reviewer Award 2017

Academy of Management Careers Division Best Symposium Award 2016

Academy of Management Outstanding Reviewer Award 2016

Academy of Management Best Reviewer Award 2015

Faculty Best Lecturer Award 2016

VU Talented Teacher Award Top 3 2016

Grants

School-to-Work Transitions Among Emerging Adults with Autism - €130.000,- grant obtained from NWO for a PhD project focusing on how to improve successful transitions into work among young individuals with autism.

Career Success Among Entrepreneurs - €200.000,- grant obtained from the Amsterdam Business Research Institute for a 4-year PhD project focusing on what makes entrepreneurs successful in their careers.

Inequalities During the Transition from Education to Work - €100.000,- grant obtained from Kenniscentrum Ongelijkheid for a 2-year postdoc project focusing on preventing inequalities that may develop when students from vocational and university education transition into the labor market.

Careers in Perspective - €85.000,- grant obtained from House of HR for a project that examines the current career landscape in the Netherlands and Belgium (collaboration with Antwerp Management School).

Resource Exchanges and Sustainable Careers - €160.000,- grant obtained from the Amsterdam Business Research Institute for a 3-year PhD project focused on examining how resource exchanges between coworkers can enhance career sustainability.

Psychology of Flexible Work - €240.000,- grant obtained from Instituut Gak for a 4-year PhD project on the psychological mechanisms underlying the increasing flexibility of contemporary work. The project will focus on the role of changing psychological contracts and talent management policies in organizations.

Commitment Systems and Careers - €100.000,- grant obtained from Blik op Werk for a 4-year PhD project about commitment systems and career implications.

CareerLEAP Program - €150.000,- grant obtained in cooperation with Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin for the further development and empirical testing of the CareerLEAP program, which is an intervention that aims to help disadvantaged unemployed youth obtain employment.

LevelUp - €11.7761,- grant obtained in cooperation with University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin for the development and empirical testing of the Level Up program, which aims to help high school students gain important career-related competencies.

VU to Work - €250.000,- grant obtained by VU Amsterdam and the postgraduate Accounting program at VU Amsterdam for the 4-year fulltime PhD project "VU to Work", which aims to uncover critical antecedents and consequences of the school-to-work transition in the contemporary career.

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